


A Life Without Light

by dark0angel13



Series: Destiny Shorts [6]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Language, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 16:45:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17491592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark0angel13/pseuds/dark0angel13
Summary: This one is by far my favorite, I don't know why.





	A Life Without Light

**Author's Note:**

> This one is by far my favorite, I don't know why.

Its cold, she realizes with sobering conviction, as her legs fail her. She hits the ground hard, but the pain is nothing compared to the emptiness within her. Her head feels light, her hands shake as she flattens them for purchase against the cold metal of the ship.

“Sarah, something’s wrong-“ Nikolai doesn’t have time to finish before the light fades from him and he hits the floor with a clang. The cold is seeping into her very bones as she reaches for her other half. She’s knows not how long they’ve been together, but how strong they’ve become and how much they’ve grown to rely on one another and she finds herself gripping her ghost as if her life depended on it; his name coming off her lips in an anguished whisper.

Before her stalks a warrior she has never seen before, and his presence has fear gripping her very soul. He is big, bigger than anyone she has seen in a while, and his stature radiates confidence as he walks.

“You are not brave Guardian,” his armor reminds her of a titan, bulky and heavy; not leaving much in the way of motion, yet he still moves with grace, “You’ve merely forgotten the fear of death.” He leans in closer and it takes everything in her not to scream. “Allow me to reacquaint you.” His foot drives into her stomach and she just barely holds back her tears as agony races white hot through her body.

Without the light to drive her forward, it’s as if her body has stagnated, leaving her a victim to her weaknesses. She can’t take the hits anymore, can’t rely on her stamina when the only thing she feels is the overwhelming urge to sink into the blackness. Her body resigns her to the fact that she is, once again, mortal. If she dies now, there is no coming back.

She lands with a grunt and slides, only barely managing to stay on the ship, and the sight below her has her stomach jumping up into her throat. She is afraid, terrified even and reaching out to her ghost, his name dying on her lips as she watches him plummet back to the ground. From this high up she is sure he will shatter into pieces and she feels her heart clench.

Behind her she hears the stranger talk but she’s not paying attention, instead holding back the tears threatening to overflow as she struggles just to get to her feet. Her strength is gone, her hope along with Nikolai plummeting from her and the only thing she can manage is to get to her knees. Her body is trembling and she’s not sure from what. Fear? Weakness? Both?

He stops before her and she can see the contempt in his eyes. She can feel his disdain for her throughout her entire body and she stiffens. She only hears his words when he lifts his leg, her mind almost unable to process what is about to happen. Almost.

“-your light, is mine.” The end of his sentence echoes in her mind and his foot makes contact against her chest. It’s heavy, cold, and leaves her gasping from the impact before her perception changes and panic is taking over.

Her arms and legs are flailing, her eyes darting from side to side as adrenaline pumps through her system like an uncontrolled current within her. Everything begins to move painfully slow then, the ground rushing up to meet her, the pulse in her veins, the icy wind as it beats against her battered body.

Everything is sluggish and she knows she should feel panic but the only emotion she can feel is peace. She stops flailing, takes a deep breath in, and wills her erratic heart to calm.

“Nikolai…” the name drifts from her and she closes her eyes, accepting of the fate that is about to greet her.

This is it. This is where she dies. This is what she spent the better part of four years fighting for, nothing.

She feels her consciousness fade then, the blackness encroaching on the corners of her vision before she lets the sweet bliss of nothing claim her. She doesn’t even remember hitting the ground.

-

-

-

Pain. Every nerve ending is alight with it when her eyes finally open again and she takes a large gulp of air in. It hurt; god did it hurt, and she’s coughing and gagging in an attempt to live. Every move hurts, every breath is seething agony but still she gets up, stumbling only a moment before catching her footing. Her entire body feels like one large bruise and she knows she should be dead right now, but for the life of her she can’t understand how she isn’t.

Nikolai is no where to be found and a sob escapes her. He’s really gone. Her best friend, her other half. Without him she can no longer be resurrected. This life is the last one she will live and the thought chills her to the bone.

She stumbles forward, taking it one step at a time in an attempt to get away from the crater where she landed. Surely the Red Legion would be scouring for survivors by now. They don’t seem the type to leave loose ends.

“Shit-“ her legs give out and she’s falling, hands rushing out to brace for the impact. It hurts and she bites back a scream and stills when the sound of engines echo around her. She is thankful to have collapsed under a crumbling overpass or else the ships spot light would have seen her. She doesn’t realize she’s been holding her breath until the sound disperses and she’s engulfed by silence; finally letting out a sigh of relief.

She’s on her feet in seconds, pushing onward, determined to get somewhere she recognizes. The world around her seems to have crumbled to ash and rubble and nothing looks familiar. Her life, it seems, has been destroyed in the span of a day and she feels her chest tighten.

“Dammit all…” she can’t stop the tears this time, tripping over her own feet and landing face first in the mud. Her body is out of strength now, her lungs are taking in oxygen like never before and breathing hurts. Moving hurts,  _existing_ hurts.

“Guardian?” The words sound far off but familiar none the less and she looks over, “are you there Guardian?”

She closes her eyes and smiles, that sounded like Nikolai, but she knows he’s gone and she misses him. She resigns herself to her fate, content enough to take the voice as a hallucination tormenting her before her final moments. What a shitty way to go.

“Sarah!” Her eyes shoot open at the sound of her name and her body tenses. She lifts her head and looks around, only gasping when she sees her ghost flutter slowly over to her.

“Nikolai!” Her voice cracks but she doesn’t care, and she’s struggling to her feet to greet him.

“Hey easy there. I’ve got you, try not to move.” His voice is calm and it soothes her. She’s never been so happy to hear him and when she feels that all too familiar wave wash over her she sighs.

“I can’t resurrect you, but I should be able to keep you healed. Be careful from here on out Sarah.”

She pats him and smiles, “Thanks Nikolai, I owe you.”

“Everything is gone…it’s really gone…”

“How did this happen?” She knows he can’t answer her but she feels the need to ask anyway.

“I don’t know,” she expects as much, “What do we do now?”

She takes a deep breath and her hands clench at her sides, “we fight.”

“I’m all for the enthusiasm here Sarah,” he turns to her and she can hear the doubt in his voice, “but we can’t beat an entire army alone, without our light.”

Sarah looks to Nikolai and something in her eyes has him floating backwards. The air about her has changed and he’s not sure if it’s good or bad. Her posture is rigid, her eyes narrowed with anger as she speaks.

“I was born from violence Nikolai. I was trained to kill, and kill I will. I’m not going to stop until they’re all dead,” she takes a deep breath and picks up a damaged pistol, checking only to make sure it still works before shoving it into a holster at her hip. “My world may be broken but I am not. I’ll fight until my last breath.”

“I’ll be right by your side. Let’s do this.”


End file.
